26th October - 1st november 2023
Melbourne Tango Circuit
A program of Special Edition tango activities that celebrates the talent, diversity and sociability of our much-loved Melbourne tango community. This is a community event coordinated by Melbourne Social Tango, in association with the established milonga and tango organisations of Melbourne. Events are Pay At The Door unless advised otherwise.
Here is our vibrant 2023 Program featuring the best of Melbourne!
The Melbourne Tango Circuit…where magic happens.
Latest News - 2023 Circuit
Thanks for doing the Circuit!!
Well, the 2023 Circuit has come to a close, and what a magical whirlwind of a week it has been.
We couldn’t be prouder of our Melbourne tango community; how each of our Program Partners showcased what they do best; how our artists, musicians and TDJs inspired and entertained us and how we warmly welcomed visitors from all over, with a beautiful collective embrace.
Thank you to those that travelled to be part of the Circuit, we hope you enjoyed your time with your Melbourne tango family and will return to your own communities energised and inspired to continue to develop your own tango.
Special thanks to the Melbourne Social Tango committee and everyone that assisted, even in a small way, for the ongoing hard work behind-the-scenes. Your energy, enthusiasm and support were key to the success of the Circuit.
Official photos from MST events will be uploaded on our FB posts and website soon, so keep an eye out to see the amazing moments captured by our Circuit Photographer, Fanny Peltier from CreAt’Her Photography.
We definitely made magic happen…and we look forward to doing it all, bigger and better, next year!
We expect the 5th Annual Melbourne Tango Circuit Program to be released in mid 2024 and will advise dates as soon as they are scheduled.
Melbourne Social Tango
– Connecting the tango community –
Need more info?
- events@melbournesocialtango.com
Program Partners
Melbourne Tango Circuit 2023 was proudly presented by Melbourne Social Tango in association with:
SPOTLIGHT ON ROBLES DANCE
Fabio Robles is the heart and soul behind Robles Dance, a Melbourne tango institution for over 20 years.
Fab’s Friday Night Milonga is where you will find Melbourne’s best tango dancers hitting the floor every week. It’s a place where anything and everything can happen!
Fabio Robles has been a champion of traditional Argentine tango in Australia and beyond for all his life.
He is a professional dancer, choreographer, musician and teacher of the craft and has developed and nurtured other tango dancers, teachers and DJs, throughout his whole career.
ROBLES STUDIO is located in the cosmopolitan heart of Carlton and is home to various latin dance groups that run regular classes, workshops and socials there.
SPOTLIGHT ON TANGO BAJO
Tango Bajo was established in 2003 by Bill Jarman and is one Melbourne’s foundation tango schools.
Bill, who began his career as a classically trained ballet dancer, discovered tango in 1990. He has worked with many of the world’s best tango maestros both in Buenos Aires and around the world. Bill helped nurture the Melbourne tango scene from humble beginnings and has watched it grow in size and sophistication.
Tango Bajo currently runs regular milongas on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month and holds weekly group classes. Bill also teaches private lessons by arrangement.
SPOTLIGHT ON TANGO ESENCIA
Tango Esencia is a studio focused on achieving exceptional standards of dance. It is located in the heart of Richmond, and is a home for all Tango dancers to gather.
Its principals, Rina and Nadim Sawaya, are highly regarded for their teaching which focuses on improving the body’s natural coordination and deep understanding of body mechanics. This focus is evident in their grace and elegance in their movements and connection in their dance.
Tango Esencia runs group classes, private tuition and several welcoming and well-attended milongas – including Milonga 327 on Wednesdays, Barrio de Tango on every 3rd Saturday and the famous monthly Czech Club – now re-named Milonga Chiqué.
Image Credit: Fanny Peltier, Creat’her Photography
SPOTLIGHT ON TANGO MELBOURNE
Tango Melbourne is a fresh and vibrant tango school that focuses on making learning tango fun and friendly with an emphasis on developing great social dancers based on cutting edge educational theory and methodology.
Tango Melbourne offers group classes in various levels, private tuition, special focused courses, practicas, and regular milongas.
Tango Melbourne prides itself on developing new dancers and promoting the benefits of dancing socially in Melbourne’s tango scene.
Renee Fieck and Doni Mac are the founders of Tango Melbourne but the school operates as a complete team of teachers and assistants that help people find and develop their tango.
All teachers are continually training in dance, understanding of music and the latest educational processes, creating an atmosphere of learning, empathy and joy. They love that tango is a worldwide community and as a result, encourage their students to dance wherever they can in their local community, as well as abroad.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE TANGUERIA - SIDEWALK TANGO
Dianne Heywood-Smith from The Tangueria – Sidewalk Tango, is a professional tango dancer, performer, choreographer and dedicated, inspiring teacher. Her tango journey started in 1998, learning and training with important tango teachers such as Gustavo Naveria, Aurora Lubiz, Puppy Castellano, Graciela Gonzales and Zoraida Fontclara.
The Tangueria has evolved through Sidewalk Tango, founded in 1998, the dance company of herself and David Backler. Interestingly Dianne and David’s first performance in Buenos Aires was at Confiteria Ideal for the Primavera Festival in September 2000.
The Tangueria – Sidewalk Tango’s teaching philosophy is built around respect for the history and origin of tango, respect for the music, the dance, and for the people who have dedicated themselves to tango, those who have kept, and those who are keeping the art form and essence of tango alive.
The Tangueria – Sidewalk Tango classes are held on Monday nights at 327 Swan St Richmond and Dianne also teaches on Friday nights in Bayswater.
Photo by Jane Clancy.
SPOTLIGHT ON MARCE OSPINA
Marcela Ospina (Marce) is originally from Colombia. While growing up she developed her passion for Tango by listening to her father singing and playing to the guitar. When Marcela was 17 she began studying Ballet, gymnastics and Tango. The combination of these three disciplines, as well as her bubbly Caribbean background, has contributed to her unique style. Since then, she has studied the followers’ technique in depth and perfected her own Tango embellishments and poetic rhythm. Her teaching philosophy consists of developing confidence in the social dancer to express their identity while incorporating specific movements in their own body based on their abilities and conditions.
Her participation in different festivals, championships and performances in Colombia, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Germany, has enriched her dancing and teaching skills.
She currently lives in Melbourne and is a talented figure in the Tango community. She is passionate about contemporary dance and is also interested in exploring the change of roles in the dance and the many social values that can be incorporated into tango from this practice. She also runs Followers’ Tango Technique workshops throughout the year and is regularly invited as a guest teacher and DJ by different dance schools in Melbourne and other cities.
SPOTLIGHT ON TANGO LOVE
Tango Love Melbourne was founded by Elena Zalez (Argentina) and Tom Weber (Luxembourg). They have been practicing and teaching gender neutral tango since 2009. Now based in Naarm (Melbourne) they hold weekly classes in the Northern suburbs.
They have developed a technique based on opening body awareness with minimal movement to engage connection, allowing for a constant change of roles (following and leading) and exchange of partners without restrictions on gender.
In recent years, they have been collaborating with tango teacher and artist, Marce Ospina (Colombia), including participating in the National Folk Festival 2023 in Canberra. They have also been active members of Melbourne Social Tango, collaborating by presenting special workshops for members and the tango community of Melbourne.
Elena is also a tango Dj, tango singer, performer…and more.
SPOTLIGHT ON TANGO ON THE BAY
Tango On The Bay was started in 2021 by Meg Thomson, who has been a long-standing social dancer and event organiser in the Melbourne tango community since 2008.
After settling in Dromana, she was inspired to create a tango community on the Mornington Peninsula, inviting professional tango teachers, TDJs and artists to run classes, workshops and milongas.
Tango on The Bay now holds regular bi-monthly milongas in Mount Martha and group classes and workshops in both Dromana & Mount Martha.
SPOTLIGHT ON PROJECT NFT
Project NFT (Neo Fusion Tango) is the longest running 100% neo tango event in Australia. It started as a temporary trial and has since been running continuously (excluding lockdowns and restrictions) since December 2010!
Project NFT runs a very friendly, relaxed and most importantly inclusive neolonga, where being generous in sharing your dances with as many people as possible is encouraged, and in keeping with equality and other dance styles, women inviting men is accepted. The music at Project NFT lends itself to exploring your own unique style of tango. Play and invent and push the boundaries of your dance to feel truly free and express yourself to your fullest extent within the movements. Above all else, feel the music and the connection with it, your partner and the floor.
We have 3 regular experienced rotating neo tango DJs with occasional guest DJs, the set list is arranged in tandas with cortinas and we play predominantly alternative and neo tango with a bit of nuevo tango thrown in occasionally.
SPOTLIGHT ON MELBOURNE TANGO ORCHESTRA
Melbourne Tango Orchestra sit somewhere between the world of chamber music and a smoky, underground tango joint, offering a unique listening and dancing experience. Delivering a hefty sound, the orchestra features three bandoneóns, the infamous symbol of Argentinean tango. These musicians bring the mid-century underworld figures of tango to life. Melbourne Tango Orchestra brings a thriving, contemporary tango music scene to this vibrant city. One of the few traditional tango orchestras regularly performing outside of Buenos Aires, specialising in Golden-age and contemporary tango, and are part of the twenty-first century tango music revival.
With initial training from La Academia and TangoSinFin schools in Buenos Aires, members grew up, studies and performed in the rich music scene of that city and developed the orquesta quickly to perform to packed houses at Milongas, Jazz Clubs, local government festivals and town halls across Melbourne and Regional Victoria. The orquesta regularly collaborate with the best latin american vocalist and dancers in Melbourne and continue their mission to expand the horizon and future of tango music.
SPOTLIGHT ON LA PORTEÑA
La Porteña was born from a longing for the rich, passionate culture of Buenos Aires.
It is the essence of Santa Maria del Buen Ayre, in Melbourne.
She wants to cabeceo you through the darkness of the dance floor, to invite you to dance with her forever.
You will have to be open and receptive to her vibe, for she wants to create fireworks, in a close embrace. Don’t freak out!
La Porteña is not as reserved as the rest, she’s cheeky and friendly, and wants to meet you, so come along and have a dance with her.